North Alabama (2-3) vs. Louisiana Tech (3-1)
Thomas Assembly Center, Ruston, Louisiana; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Louisiana Tech goes up against North Alabama in an early season matchup. North Alabama fell 78-73 at South Dakota State in its last outing. Louisiana Tech is coming off a 76-43 win at home against Mississippi Valley State in its most recent game.
STEPPING UP: The dynamic Jamari Blackmon is averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.2 steals to lead the way for the Lions. Emanuel Littles is also a primary contributor, maintaining an average of 7.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs have been led by Kalob Ledoux, who is averaging 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Blackmon has made or assisted on 40 percent of all North Alabama field goals over the last three games. The freshman guard has accounted for 17 field goals and 11 assists in those games.
COLD SPELL: North Alabama has lost its last three road games, scoring 64.3 points, while allowing 82 per game.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Bulldogs have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Lions. Louisiana Tech has an assist on 54 of 95 field goals (56.8 percent) across its past three games while North Alabama has assists on 36 of 70 field goals (51.4 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The stout Louisiana Tech defense has held opposing offenses to a field goal percentage of 32.6 percent, the sixth-lowest mark in Division I. North Alabama has allowed opponents to shoot 46.5 percent through five games (ranking the Lions 289th).
